A Very Special Announcement
No Comments »12th October, 2006; Category: General
Duh!
I’ve been so busy recently I forgot a very special occasion.
For a very special announcement click here.
What a Hoot!
No Comments »12th October, 2006; Category: Carnivals
The latest version of I And The Bird has just been posted over at Tortoise Trail by Pam. It has a “Hootenanny!” theme this time.
Plenty of good sites to visit and they are all about birds and birding.
And of course, my contribution is there along with many others from around the world. It is an excellent way to learn about birds in different parts of the world and from many different perspectives. And you will find some excellent new sites to bookmark.
Links:
- Tortoise Trail – the host of the current “I and the bird” carnival. It’s about life in Arizona.
- I and the Bird – the home page of this carnival.
Why not contribute to the next one?
Baby Magpie
We have had quite a flurry of birds breeding in our garden and nearby over the last month or so. White Winged Choughs, Little Ravens, New Holland Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebirds, House Sparrows, Common Starlings, Blackbirds and Grey Shrike-thrushes to name a few of them.
Australian Magpie
One species that I was surprised about was our resident Australian Magpies. They have been very quiet in recent weeks and I did not find a nest. Not that I looked very hard, mind you. Still, I probably expect them to nest within about 40 metres of the house as is their usual habit.
Yesterday I heard the unmistakable call of a baby magpie calling from the tall eucalypt tree next to the driveway. Sure enough, there was a newly fledged baby magpie all covered in downy feathers and constantly begging to be fed.
UPDATE: I have just written a new articles, with photos, of the latest baby magpie in our garden. To read it, click here.
Newly fledged Australian Magpie
October 2011 Update: This article has seen more visitors and comments than any other on this site. Thanks to all my readers who are so interested in sharing their stories and experiences with baby magpies. I’ve included more photos taken recently in our garden.
Book review: The fearsome flute players is a wonderful books about Australian Magpies and how to care for them. You can read my review of the book here – and there is a special offer for readers of Trevor’s Birding too.
Coffee mugs: you can now buy coffee mugs featuring one of my magpie photos – click here. Search the same site for many other items featuring my bird photos, including shirts, hats, stationery, key rings – and much more.
UPDATE October 25th 2013
Sadly I have had to close comments on this article, the most popular article I have ever written. It has had 488 comments, hundreds more than any other post on this site.
Today I received another 10 comments from someone called LEE who attempted to post some aggressive and crudely worded comments in an attempt to correct what others had written. Such language will not be approved here, nor will very long comments all in capital letters (ie shouting). Please take your inappropriate comments elsewhere – or start your own website.
UPDATE September 24th 2015: Let’s try again. I have reopened comments on this post again. Please keep comments civil.
Baby Australian Magpie just out of the nest
Baby Australian Magpie just out of the nest
Baby Australian Magpie (left) just out of the nest
Baby Australian Magpie just out of the nest
Do I need a telescope when I go birding?
Frequently asked questions about birding #14
Do I need a telescope when out birding?
No. But one can be very useful.
I went for 25 years before buying my first telescope for birding. They can be rather expensive; mine was the cheapest available and I find it terribly bulky to carry any distance seeing that it also needs a tripod. It usually only comes out of the car when I don’t have to carry it more than a few metres. I must say, however, that there are two really wonderful uses of a telescope.
- When trying to identify water birds on a lake, river or estuary. Unless you want to get very wet, cold and muddy it is hard to get close to the birds way out on the middle of a lake. It is here that a telescope is essential and the main reason I bought one.
- If you are into bird photography, try digiscoping, that is, digital photography using an attachment that lets your digital camera take photos through the telescope. Alternatively, using an old SLR through a telescope can be very effective. My camera has a 12x zoom which almost replicates the effect without needing either an attachment or a telescope. Again – look at my photo gallery to see the results.
Gotcha! Photo of the Rainbow Bee-eater
Rainbow Bee eater
The Rainbow Bee-eater is a stunningly beautiful bird. Every spring we are always listening for that first call indicating they have returned for the summer months after spending the winter up north.
Over recent days we have heard several of these delightful birds while working in my wife’s native plant nursery. Sightings of them have been elusive – until late yesterday. Near sunset we heard them calling just outside. I raced out with camera in hand and managed three photos. I was hoping for a photo of one sitting on a dead limb of nearby tree – a typical pose of this species. I had to make do with one sitting on the power line leading to the house.
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